What Does “Rooting” Mean and Will It Void Your Phone’s Warranty?

Rooting your Android can unlock many of its hidden capabilities. What does rooting mean? We’ll answer that question and tell you its effects on your warranty.

Keyword(s): what does rooting mean

Android is heralded as one of the most open phone OSs by tech enthusiasts. Compared to iOS, it offers users more control and more support for a wider range of apps. It’s also free to use, which has helped make it the most used OS in the world.

Yet, Android is not as open as most people think it is. To fully unlock the potential of your phone’s operating system, you need to root it.

Most users just wonder, “what does rooting mean?” and leave it at that.

The answer to that question is simple: rooting is complete power over your phone. While the actual technical aspects can get complicated, you just need to know that rooting your phone unlocks the ability to do new things with it. When you decide to root your phone, you basically upgrade it in a way no company would ever allow.

And best of all, it doesn’t violate your warranty.

Keep reading below to learn more about rooting your Android device!

Android Isn’t A Totally Open-Source OS

Some people invest in an Android phone because they believe it will give them more control than an iOS device. While that is true, it doesn’t mean Android is a platform that offers users complete control. There are still some functionalities that users are locked out of.

These functionalities are mostly core systems that keep the phone running normally. It’s a good thing people generally can’t access them, or else there would be many more bricked phones floating around. Yet, there are also a few systems that aren’t needed to keep the phone running, yet people are still locked out of.

These include things like the boot logo or the way the UX is designed.

People are locked out of them by essentially being assigned a second-class account on their own phone. There are two different kinds of accounts on phones: root accounts and user accounts. Most people are just happy with their user account. Yet, there are some who demand more control.

Rooting Gives You Complete Control

Those people usually hack their devices to turn their own user account a root account. With a root account, they can make any modifications they want. And since these people are usually well-versed in technology, they can change their phone without damaging it.

Keep reading below to learn some of the things you can do with a rooted Android phone.

Delete The Preinstalled Apps That You Hate

When you buy a phone from a retailer, they usually load it with apps that most people don’t even use. For example, Verizon includes its own apps on new devices to encourage people to use its services more. And users usually can’t delete these apps like most others.

They’re called bloatware applications and most of the time, all they do is take up space.

When you root your phone, you can delete them like any other kind of app. That way, you can free up space for the things that you actually want. You can also help make your phone faster since many bloatware apps also take processor and memory resources, too.

Change Your Boot Logo

When you first turn on your phone, you’re likely confronted with a logo from some company. It could be the Google logo or your carrier. Either way, you can probably imagine better things to look out while your phone turns on.

Normally, you can’t change anything about how your phone boots up. Yet, if you root it, your boot sequence is yours to control. Not only can you change the image that appears when you boot, but you can also change the order in which things are loaded.

Get Off The Clock, Or Overclock Your Processor

Sometimes, people demand more of their phones than manufacturers want to give them. The CPUs in most phones are usually capable of going much faster than the speeds they’re programmed for. Manufacturers cap the speed out of concerns of the CPU frying, or it draining the battery too quickly.

Luckily, rooting lets you unlock the potential of your CPU. You can manually set the speed it should run at when you root your phone, making applications faster. Just don’t overclock it too much, or else you may damage the device.

The Process Is Simple

To root your phone, all you need to do is download either free or paid software. Free software will require you to do more research on your device and how to load rooting software onto it. Yet, paid software like Kingo Root or One Click Root usually makes things pretty simple.

Generally, all you need to do is plug your phone into your computer and follow some simple steps. Then, after watching lines of code flicker by on your screen, your phone will be in your complete control.

Follow Instructions To The Letter

Be careful when rooting your phone, though. Make sure your computer stays on, and that you follow the instructions to the letter. Rooting your phone deals with some core, systematic files and mishandling them can lead to a bricked phone.

Do your research beforehand, and make sure you know what you’re doing. That way, you’ll be safe when you finally decide to plug your phone in and get started rooting it!

You’re Not Voiding Your Warranty

Many rumors were spread when rooting and jailbreaking first began that doing so would void your warranty. People thought that since you were modifying your device, the company that made it wouldn’t stand by any damage claims. Luckily, those were lies.

Companies generally discourage people from rooting their phones, since people often do it wrong. Then, once the phone breaks because of their carelessness, they blame the company. The company then has to work to maintain its reputation, even though it didn’t do anything wrong.

Luckily, as long as you know what you’re doing, you won’t need to worry about your warranty. Everything should continue running as it did before, and even if you do need to make a warranty claim, you’ll still be able to.

What Does Rooting Mean? Freedom.

People root their phones because they want their devices to be truly theirs. There’s a kind of freedom associated with rooting your phone that most users don’t experience. They will never be able to overclock the CPU, or so much as delete the bloatware preinstalled on the device.

So what does rooting mean? Simply put, it means control over your device and freedom from manufacturer restrictions. It definitely doesn’t mean a voided warranty.

And to make sure you don’t lose your warranty, just register an account with us. We will keep track of your warranty for you, so you can keep enjoying your device, free from limitations.